Styles & Scenes

Donatella versus Dolly at the Oscars

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Donatella Versace plans to attend the Oscars on March 5. According to the fashion bible WWD, the Italian designer will head to Los Angeles via New York where she’ll check in on her newly reopened Fifth Avenue Versace boutique.

What will she wear? Duh. Let’s see, starts with a V….

But what will happen if diva Donatella comes face-to-face with her doppleganger — super-unpretentious all-American country music superstar Dolly Parton — nominated for best song and also attending the Oscars and hitting some after-parties?

Won’t this cause some kind of rip in the fabric of the universe, like on a "Star Trek" rerun?

With the end of the world just weeks away, here's a distracting tidbit: Donatella is a big fan of the award-winning “Desperate Housewives” series and she even gets DVDs of the show sent to her in Milan. Her favorite character? Like you had to ask.

"I love Bree because she is so perfect that she is almost ridiculous,” she told WWD.

Like we used to say in fifth grade, takes one to know one.

Photo: Versace addict Jennifer Lopez and Donatella Versace at the recent reopening of her New York boutique.
(Jemal Countess / WireImage)

Dolly Parton is red carpet-ready

Move over, Reese, Keira, Felicity and Amy.

Make room for Dolly!

The Oscar red carpet just got a lot more fun: Dolly Parton’s gosh-durn Oscar gown is ready to go!

Parton, whose tune, "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica" is nominated for best original song, got her first Oscar nod in 1981 for the “Nine to Five” theme song. But she’s not the slightest bit nervous about attending the March 5 awards show or the Oscars' increased fashion focus these days.

“Listen, I’ve never been fashionable in my whole life and now is no time to start,” joked the petite blond country music superstar. “You know, when you’re a cartoon character, you can get away with wearing pretty much anything.”

But her gown has actually been designed by Robert Behar, Parton explained on the phone from her Tennessee home. “He’s a real designer. From Paris! He’s been doing my stage stuff for years. But this has been his lifelong dream to design a gown for the Oscars.”

Behar has actually designed two gowns for Parton. One to walk the red carpet and another for when she performs “Travelin’ Through” onstage. And the colors? “Probably pastel,” said Parton. “Maybe in the pink or lavender family. And Robert said that I had to wear real diamonds. I’m just a hillbilly going to the city. I was just gonna wear my costume jewelry. ‘Well, OK,’ I told him so he went ahead and got some from those folks who like to loan them out.”

She also told Behar to go ahead and get a week’s wardrobe together for her. “I have no idea what’s proper. Am I supposed to change clothes to go the parties? All I know is that they’ve got a bunch of stuff they want me to go to out there.”

And her date? That would be "Transamerica" director Duncan Tucker. “He’s gonna walk down the red carpet with me and that will really take the pressure off. I’m just gonna point to Duncan and say, ‘Talk to him! He’s the real talent. He wrote and directed the film and he’s getting the least attention of all of us!'”

Photo: Country music icon Dolly Parton will walk the red carpet on March 5 in a gown by her longtime designer, Robert Behar.
(Photo: Dennis Carney)